Pedal-controlled throw-off lever for printing-presses.



R. R. BETHEL PEDAL CONTROLLED THROW-OFF LEVER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1915.

1,199,710. Patented July 11, 1916.

ROBERT R. BETHEL, 0F CONCORDIA, KANSAS.

PEDAL-CONTROLLED THROW-OFF LEVER FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 7, 1915. Serial No. 54,619.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT R. BETI-IEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Concordia, in the county of Cloud andState of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedal-Controlled Throw-Off Levers for Printing-Presseabf which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying-drawings.

This invention relates to an improved pedal controlled throw-off lever for printing presses and has for its primary object to provide a device of this character which may be readily applied to any ordinary platen printing press whereby the lever may be actuated through the medium of a foot pedal for shifting the bed carrying the impression plate so that the impression will not touch the paper or platen.

It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide a foot pedal having an upright, and a yielolable coupling or connection between said upright and the throw-oft lever, whereby said lever may be moved under the weight of the bed relatively to the upright after the foot pedal has been depressed, and .means for locking the pedal in its depressed position.

It is a further general object of the invention to provide a pedal operating means for the throw-off lever of a platen press, which is exceedingly simple and durable in its construction and highly serviceable and convenient in practical use.

WVith the above and other objects in View, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Figure l is a side elevation illustrating the normal position of the several parts when the press is in operation; Fig.- 2 is a similar view showing the relative positions of the parts after the pedal has been actuated and the lever moved to throw the bed carrying the impression plate out of operative relation to the platen; Fig. 3 is a hori zontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is a similar view taken on the line 41 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates a floor plate having upstandmg flanges or ears 6 formed thereon. The,

pedal lever 7 is provided with a short arm 8 and a relatively long arm or upright 9, the extremity of the shorter arm 8 being formed with a horizontally disposed foot plate 10. This lever is loosely mounted for rock ng movement at the. juncture of the arm-8 with the upright 9, upon a bolt 11 wh ch connects the spaced vertical flanges 6 of the floor plate.

L designates the throw-off lever of a platen prmting press, (not shown), and to thelowerend of this lever spaced parallel link bars 12 are pivotally connected by means of the bolt indicated at 13. These link bars straddle the upright 9 of the pedal lever and are each provided adjacent their free, ends with a number of spaced openings 11 to receive an adjustable bolt connection 15, through the medium of which the relatively short links 16 are pivotally connected to the longer link bars 12. The other ends of the links 16 are pivoted, as at 17 upon the opposite sidesof the upright 9. The upperend of this upright, projecting above thelink bars 12, is provided with a number of spaced openings 18 in which a bolt 19 is adapted to be adjustably engaged. To this bolt, one end of a coil spring 20 is connected, theother end of said spring being connected to the ends of the link bars 12. The links 16 are also each preferably provided with a pairof openings 21, whereby said links may be adjustably connected to the link bars 12. The upright 9 is also provided with a number of openings 22 whereby the connecting pin 17 for the links 16 may be adjustably positioned correspondingly to the adjustable connection of the spring 20 with the upper end of said upright.

L designates the horizontally disposed rod or bar which connects the lower end of the lever L to the throw-oil mechanism of the press.

As above described, assuming that the parts are in their normal positions illustrated in Fig. l and the press is in operation, when it is desired to throw 011 the impression plate and move the same out of engagement with the paper on the platen, the operator places his foot upon the plate 10 and depresses the same. In this normal position of the parts, the bolt 15, connecting the links 16, bears against the edge of the upright 9 so that it will be understood that,

Patented July 11, 1916.

when the pedal isdepressed and the upright ends on the frame of the press.

moved to a substantially vertical position as shown in Fig. 2, the links 16 and bars 12 are shifted together with the upr ght and the link bars 12 exert a pull upon the lower end of the lever L, thereby also, of course,

pulling uponthe connecting bar L. Itis move to the position indicated in Fig. 2, so

that the link bars 12 willbe shifted by said lever with respect to the upright 9, thereby V placing the connecting; links 16 in an ob liquely inclined position and expanding the spring 20. This spring, however, imme- 2o 'diately contracts when the'movement of the lever L and the throw-off mechanism ceases and returns the bars 12 and links 16 to their normal positions with respect to'the upright l 9, the bolt 15 limiting such return movement of the parts, The pedal 10, however,

remains "depressed and is held in such depressed position by means'of'a latch dog 23 which is pivotally mounted at one of its ends upon a vertical pin'or stud 24: fixedin the floor plate 5. The other end of the latch dog is vertically extended, as at 25, for engagement by the foot of the operator. This dog, when shifted over the lever arm 8 as showninFi'g. 4, holds the foot pedal in a depressed position. 7 When the dog 23 is moved ,off the pedal arm, said pedal is returned to V its no'rmal position by the action of the press 7 and the weight of'the throw-off mechanism through the connections to the lower end of thelever L so that the impressionjplate is again disposed'in operative relation to the platen. By the provision of the latch dog, it will be seen that the impression bed plate may beheld in its inoperative position when the feeder desires to leave the press without having to stop the operation of the latter. Theped'al is so. mounted and theleverjconnection's properly adjusted with respect l thereto so that when the pedal is depressed, the throw-oft mechanism and the impression 7 bed plate are moved to a predetermined extent which is such'that the impression will automatically return to its operative position upon the release'of the "pedal." From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

' lthe' construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clear'ly 'and rfullyfunderstood. The device "may be 1 readily applied to any ordinary platenjprinting press without discarding the hand lever operating connection to the throw-off lever which is usually provided, as both the foot pedal'connection and the handlevermay. be employed, operating, of course,

7 lever.

ad usted relative to each other,1n accordance with the desired extent of movement of the bed plates. In view of the extreme simplicity of the device, it is also apparent that the same can be produced at relatively small manufacturing cost.

While I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several parts, it is to be understood that the device is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is t 1. The combination with the throw-oil lever of a printing press, of a pivotally mounted pedal lever having an upright,

7 link bars connected to the throw-0E lever and straddling said upright for relative movement with respect thereto, means connected to said link bars and urging the same in one direction, and means for positively limiting such movement of the link bars engaged by the upright when the same is operated to actuate the throw-off lever, the

movement of the lever continuing after the movement of the upright has ceased and shifting said link bars against the action of the means tending to urge the same to their normal positions.

2. The combination with the throw-ofi' lever of a printing press, of a pivotally mounted pedal lever having an upright, link bars connected to the throw-off lever and straddling said upright for relative movement with respect thereto, means connected "to theupright and t0 the other ends of the link bars to yieldingly limit the continued movement of the lever and the link bars with respect to the upright of the pedal 3. The combination with the throw-01f lever of a printing press, of a pivotally mounted pedal lever having an upright, link bars connected to the throw-ofi' lever and straddling said upright, links pivotally 0011- 'nected at one of their ends. to said upright and at their other ends to the link bars,

means for'adjusting the pivotal connection of the links to the upright and the link bars,

and a spring adjustably connected at one end to the upright and at its other end to said link bars to yieldingly limit the continued movement of the link connections and thethrow-ofl lever with respect to the upright of the pedal lever and return said link connections to their normal positions with respect to said upright when the movement of the throw-01f lever ceases.

4. The combination With the throw-off lever of a printing press, of an operating member having limited movement in one direction, means for adjustably connecting the throw-off lever to said operating member, said means being movable independently of the operating member, whereby the movement of the throw-off lever may continue after the movement of the operating member has ceased, and means for cushioning such continued movement of the throw-off lever.

5. The combination with the throw-off lever of a printing press, of a pivotally mounted pedal lever having limited movement in one direction, link bars connected to the throw-off lever and straddling the pedal lever and capable of movement independently of the pedal lever in one direction, means connecting said link bars and engaged by the pedal lever, whereby the throw-off lever is positively moved When the pedal lever is operated, and means for yieldingly retarding the independent movement of the link bars, and the continued movement of the throw-off lever after the movement of the nedal lever has ceased.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ROBERT R. BETHEL. Witnesses:

EDW. B. WI-IIPP, E. C. WVHITGHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

